Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-13
Heating Railway Cars by Elee-
triCitY.

10 the EGiior Of tic Dispatch:
Mention having often been made in
vour columns OF the "elcctric heater
of which J am the inventor, and public
attention being called at this time to
the necessity Tor some absolutely safe
method Of warming railway cars, few
words from me, explaining what 1t L.
proposed to accomplish by it, may be
Of general interest.
in electric heaters are based on the
same general principle-viz., 81 resist
hg Hcp dysagc Of Hr Ctectric cWTrnt
10 BE- effective they must possess high
resistance; the resisting medium should
stand high temperature without melt
ING or burning; their construction
should be simple and Inexpensive; and,
finally. they should be able to with
stand rough usage if necessary, with
ont tie liability of getting out OF order.
al these points ! claim in the " i'm
provement have made in my cleo
tric-heater, and on which have lately
been allowed patent.
The next point to be considered ~
tie application Of electric-heaters t.
practical purposes is the supply OF the
electric current. This necessarily must
be supplied 10y the dynamo electric-ma-
chine. the cost of the same depending
# course on the cost Of the poorer ne
ccssury to operate the dynamo.
1t will be seen therefor that in cases
where power already exists which can
lee made ayailable-as in steamships,
manufacturing establishments, and On
r0ilury troins-the electric heater
might be applied to advantage. But it
is to the latter application that our at
tcnticn is directed and rs to its feast
bilitv ] wish to bring to bear the state
ment of well-antheuticated facts which
90 to prove that the utilization OF ths
axles of railway-cars for operating dy-
namo-machines is not by any means q
new proposition. Several years ago
they were successfully so operated III
Europe, and were made to charge sac
cumulators in producing the electric
light.
IN Germany, on the line between
Fulda and Sachenhausen, this plan has
been for years in successful operation
| The baggage is used for the dynamo
and twenty-six accmulators. The
DYNAMO is driven at rate Of sever
hundred and fifty revolutions pei
minute from ogc o. the GCics Of the car
The Great Northern railway, Eng
! and, are lighting their trains with &c
cumulators placed in each coach, Tx
cells being charged by dynamo drireI
| IN the arlc II cdr. The same ma,
he said OF the Lancashire and York
shire railway and OF the Great Easter
| railway.
| Ibis system is also misuse on tn
Brighton and on the Southeastern lines
| he dgEaBO being tcOrkcd from III
| oJlc in each case while the train is run
ming, the electricity thus generates
being stored in accumulators and uset
as required.
With these instances cited in whicI
the axle of a car has been used to Ope
rate a dynomo to produce the electri
LIGHT, it is reasonable to infer that tn
same appliance may be made ayailabl
in rGgming ,'diiir0y-cGrs. Moreover
if "Gccumulators have been found G
great efficiency in providing a stead
current when the train was not in Inc
ton, it would seem they might be use
TO advantage in heating cars when til
train had been delayed beyond tn
usual time of stopping at station.
My opinion, therefore, is it is only
question of time when electricity. VIII
ther by my invention or some othe
will be used as the only safe method {
heating railway-cars.
Very respectfully,
W. LEIGH BURTON.